Atari Ultra Pong
 | |
| Atari Ultra Pong with its game chart, Game Select/Reset button and power switch | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Atari, Inc. |
| Type | Dedicated home video game console |
| Released | 1977[1] |
| CPU | — |
| Memory | None |
| Storage | — |
| Display | RF output to a television on channel 3[2] |
| Sound | Speaker in the console[2] |
| Power | Four C cells, or a battery eliminator giving 5.5 V DC at 100 mA[2] |
| OS / Firmware | — |
| Predecessor | Atari Super Pong |
| Model no. | C-402(S) Ultra Pong; C-402(D) Ultra Pong Doubles[2] |
Atari Ultra Pong (model C-402(S)) is a dedicated home video game console that Atari released in 1977. It plays 16 Pong and hockey games for two players, each with paddle controllers on cables, and the four-player Ultra Pong Doubles (C-402(D)) adds a second pair of controllers and 16 more four-player variations.[2][1] The Atari Museum describes it as the last series of Atari's Pong consoles.[3] Sears sold the two models as Pong Sports II (99707) and Pong Sports IV (99708).[1]
Games
[edit | edit source]The games are four kinds of Pong and four kinds of hockey, each with and without barriers on the playfield. Within each kind the four versions differ in the number of paddles each player controls and where they sit.[2]
| Group | Games |
|---|---|
| Pong | Pong, Super Pong, Hyper Pong, Ultra Pong |
| Hockey | Hockey, Super Hockey, Hyper Hockey, Ultra Hockey |
| Barrier Pong | Barrier Pong, Super Barrier Pong, Hyper Barrier Pong, Ultra Barrier Pong |
| Barrier Hockey | Barrier Hockey, Super Barrier Hockey, Hyper Barrier Hockey, Ultra Barrier Hockey |
The game serves automatically, and the first player or team to 15 points wins. Each part of the paddle deflects the ball at its own angle; after the fourth volley the ball speeds up and the angles narrow, and after the eighth it reaches full speed.[2] The Power switch and the Select/Reset button are on top of the console. Press Select/Reset straight after switching on to bring up a playfield, and again to step through the games; once anyone has scored, it takes two presses, one to reset the score and one to change the game.[2] The left player's paddles are solid and the right player's are striped.[2]
Ultra Pong Doubles
[edit | edit source]
Ultra Pong Doubles (C-402(D)) comes with four hand-held controllers. Two players use the inner "A" jacks on the back of the console; plugging the other two controllers into the outer "B" jacks turns every game into a four-player version, with the playfield divided into quarters and each player's paddles confined to one quarter. That gives 16 two-player and 16 four-player games, 32 in all.[2] Sears sold it as Pong Sports IV (99708). Pong-Story notes that the 16 Pong games in Sears's Motocross console are the same as those of Ultra Pong Doubles and Pong Sports IV.[1]
Hardware
[edit | edit source]The console runs on four C cells or an Atari battery eliminator. The manual gives the requirement as 5.5 V DC at 100 mA, says plugging in the eliminator disconnects the batteries, and warns that fitting the batteries the wrong way round can damage the circuitry.[2] The rear panel carries the controller jacks and the eliminator jack, and the game cable runs to a TV/game switch box (part CA010325) on the television's VHF antenna terminals.[2]
Wikipedia's article on Stunt Cycle names Atari's C010765 as the chip that plays the 16 Pong games in Sears's Motocross, which are the Ultra Pong Doubles games; the photographer's description of the photograph above, of an Ultra Pong, also names C010765.[5][6]
Power and care
[edit | edit source]The manual's part number for the battery eliminator is printed as C0104720. C010472 is the number of Atari's 9 V DC, 500 mA supply for the Atari Stunt Cycle, so do not choose an adaptor by part number: check that it gives the 5.5 V DC the manual specifies before plugging it in.[2][7] Restorers have found replacement adaptors with the wrong polarity on the same style of plug, so check polarity as well.[8]
Atari's care list:[2]
- Use good-quality C cells, and take them out if the game will not be used for more than a month, or if the eliminator is in use for more than a month.
- Clean the outside with a soft, slightly damp cloth, and keep liquids out of the speaker opening and the controllers.
- Do not lift the console or controllers by their cables, which can break the insulation inside.
- Keep the game away from heat, and switch it off when not in use.
Battery Explosion, Capacitor or Corrosion Damage covers cleaning up after a battery leak.
Troubleshooting
[edit | edit source]| Symptom | Cause and remedy |
|---|---|
| Picture flickers when scoring | Low voltage: change the batteries. |
| No playfield, or a whitish-grey screen | Batteries low, dead or fitted wrongly; switch box set to TV (set it to GAME); game cable not plugged into the switch box; twin-lead not attached to the TV; eliminator not plugged into the wall or the console; power switch off. |
| No regular TV programmes | Switch box set to GAME (set it to TV); twin-lead not attached to the TV; antenna wire not on the 300 Ω screws of the switch box. |
| Buzzing from the TV loudspeaker | TV volume too high: turn it right down. The game sound comes from the console. |
| Clear playfield, but bars or lines move across it | A strong station on channel 3 or on cable: remove the antenna wire or cable from the switch box while playing. |
| Playfield fuzzy, like a weak station | Poor connections at the TV's antenna terminals or the switch box. |
| Playfield unsharp, unsteady or without colour | Fine-tune the TV and set its colour and tint. |
| Worked before, now unsharp or unstable | Batteries need replacing, or the TV's fine tuning has been moved. |
Replacement parts
[edit | edit source]| Part | Number |
|---|---|
| Hand-held controller | CA010019-03 |
| TV/game switch box | CA010325 |
| Battery compartment cover assembly | CA010744 |
| Rubber foot | 88-1004 |
| Owner's manual | C010930 |
Documentation
[edit | edit source]- Atari Ultra Pong Documentation: the owner's manual for Ultra Pong and Ultra Pong Doubles.
- Ultra Pong and Ultra Pong Doubles owner's manual (C010930, 1977)
Gallery
[edit | edit source]-
Ultra Pong Doubles box: "32 game variations, 2 to 4 players"
Related pages
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 David Winter, Pong-Story, "Atari home PONG systems": models, years, numbers of games and players, and the Sears equivalents. pong-story.com.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 Atari, Inc., Ultra Pong and Ultra Pong Doubles owner's manual, C010930, 1977: contents and models (cover); unpacking (p. 2); switch box (pp. 3-4); batteries (p. 4); battery eliminator, power requirement and controllers (p. 5); choosing games, paddles and Pong (p. 6); Hockey and Barrier Pong (p. 7); Barrier Hockey and Ultra Pong Doubles (p. 8); playing pointers and care (p. 9); troubleshooting checklist (p. 10); replacement parts (p. 11). Hosted as File:Atari Ultra Pong and Ultra Pong Doubles Owner's Manual C010930.pdf.
- ↑ Curt Vendel, Atari Museum, "The Atari Ultra Pong Doubles (C-402 D)". atarimuseum.ctrl-alt-rees.com.
- ↑ arcade-history.com, "Ultra Pong [Model C-402S]": list of the 16 games. arcade-history.com. Community database.
- ↑ Wikipedia, "Stunt Cycle", revision 1349387671, section "Home versions": the Sears Motocross Sports Center IV and its chips. en.wikipedia.org.
- ↑ Photograph of an Ultra Pong (C-402 S) by Chapuisat on Flickr, description as given on Wikimedia Commons. File:Atari Ultra Pong C-402S console.jpg.
- ↑ Atari, Inc., Stunt Cycle owner's manual, C010931, 1977: AC power supply C010472, 9 V DC, 500 mA (pp. 5, 10). Hosted as File:Atari Stunt Cycle Owner's Manual C010931.pdf.
- ↑ Ctrl-Alt-Rees, "A Curious Atari Video Game Machine Restoration", 28 December 2023: replacement adaptors for the Pong found wired tip-negative. ctrl-alt-rees.com. Restoration report.